I know there are a few of you that haul bikes. I'm getting ready to buy a buell blast as my first bike and might have to occasonally haul it. anyone recomeend an od chocks, straps and ramps luckily th bike weighs under 400 pounds so I should be able to load it and tie it down myelf. lets see some pics too..... oh ya its gona match the truck

 

400lbs is about the point where it begins to be a serious PITA to load a bike solo into a pickup. My dirt bike is 270ish fueled and it can be a PITA if I can’t find a decent place to cheat the loading ramp by backing into a dip. Obviously the flatter you make the ramp the easier it will be. Straps...I prefer the ratchet type because they help me cinch down my bike much better. Some people like the simple cam ones with the button release but I don’t care for those at all Chocks....you can use some sand bags if you want to save some dough and don’t want to mount anything to the bed of your ride. However I don’t think chocks are mandatory. If you cinch it down well enough you'll never need chocks because the bike doesn’t move and therefore won’t slip (unless you’re hitting some serious bumps that would compress the susp). Ramp…You might want to look into a wide model to help you walk the bike up into the bed but if you want to save money and space and get a standard narrow ramp then make sure you have a 5gal bucket/stepladder/or best of all bike stand so you have something to step up onto as you push the bike up.
The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to make it as easy on yourself as possible and find a place to back your truck onto a curb or something with some height to help you flatten the ramp as much as possible.

 

Good info..

I have seen someone on here that has a mount system in there bed that can hold to bikes.. Anyone know what the name of the mount is and where I can buy it?

 

I never used any chocks when I towed my 750gsx suzuki around. I did however put the front wheel against the front of the bed as a chock. I used 4 ratchet straps on it. Also I loaded it myself after I backed by truck in my ditch. The first time I did this I learned to watch how far to back in because I bent the trailer connector all the way under the truck.

 

oops

 

One thing you are going to have to pa attention to on the buell blast is the length of your ramp. I used to work at a Harley Dealership and the blasts have a very low slug exhaust on them and you will get your self into a high center situation as soon as your front wheel hits the tailgate. Make sure you are strong enough to pysically push the bike thru this and also that you have a ramp wide enough to stand on. For this bike a bucket or a bike stand WILL NOT surfice. Now if you want to move into a sportster instead i can make you a hell of a deal on one. Any questions feel free to PM me or email me i can help you thru alot of questions on those bikes as i had to repair them all the time for the crash school of riding. As far as straps and tie downs your local dealer will have in stock 2 things that you should bite the bullet and buy, 1 is a package of 2 straps called soft straps they loop over the handlebars, 2: is a good set of harley tie downs ratchet straps they will cost more then others but will last you a life time. the have 2 hooks on them and they are all you will need to tie the bike into anything

 

Let me clarify 1 thing regarding the chocks.
As whitecrystal1 said I too use the front of my truck bed as a chock so what I was referring to regarding the sandbags is placing those on the sides of the front tire as it pulled up against the front of the bed. Then I use 2 ratchet straps to pull the handlebars forward and down towards the front of the bed. I wouldn’t use sandbags to stop forward or backward movement of a tire but bags are plenty sufficient to stop lateral movement IMHO.

 

What do you guys think about this?

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...131&hasJS=true

 

styxnpicks,

I haul around wherever i go a Buell Firebolt in the back of my truck. I usually get someone to help me unload/load it. My dad and i built a ramp out of some steel channel. Aluminum would be nice and light though. As far as straps talk to your local Harley Davidson dealers service dept they have plenty and will usually give u some free of charge, make sure u ask for the long straps.Thats the only place i get mine.

later
joel

 

thanks guy, I just won the auction on ebay for 2200 delivered to my door. its 2001 with 4044 on the odometer. I'm not hauling it yet nor do I need to. but in case I do I want to do it right. I tend to forget things are back there. it also ha an aftermarket exhaust on it altho I doubt that makes a diff luckily my truck is lowered about 5-6 inches in the rear so most of the ramp problems should be easy

 

That may be ok for dirt bikes. But anything bigger like a street bike would be a no go for me. For one, the street bikes are considerably heavier than a dirt bike and definately wider. I just couldn't trust this system.

Plus, I just don't like the idea of what could happen with something that heavy getting loose. For one, it could fall into your vehicle and damage it and the bike. Or worse, fall off into the roadway at speed. If it falls over in your bed, it would be a lot less severe.


But that's just my .02

 

www.readyramp.com

I have one I use with my dirtbike and it works great!

 

Why anyone hasnt said anything to you yet is beyond me... I am here to give you the advise of a lifetime... sit down, start humming, cross your legs and take this bit of information in for good...

DO NOT BUY A BUELL ANYTHING!!!

 

I'm looking into getting a tri-fold ramp like this one from Performance Products for my truck. I've got a Harley that is quite heavy and want something a little wider so it easier to load and unload (drive on easily).

 

soze why not a buell anything?? out handle anything else out there? the blast is just very low in power but to each there own.

i can still out handle a jap bike on a buell in tight corners,
i'll take you on a go cart track with one anytime